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From left to right: Lexie L, Alex L, Alex D, Zixuan Y, Grant H We competed in the Minnesota Signature Event in August 2024. This was our first tournament for the 2024-2025 season and the first time we competed as team 1698V. We ranked 9th in the preliminary rounds and advanced to the quarterfinals. Even though we didn't win, we learned a great deal from this event.

From left to right: Lexie L, Alex D, Zixuan Y, Richard W, Alex L In November 2024, at the Space City Signature Event in Houston, TX, our team won the championship out of 63 teams, securing a spot at the 2025 VEX World Championships in Dallas.

In March 2025, at California Region 2 State championships we made it all the way to the finals, meaning that we achieved 2nd place out of 80 teams from the rest of the Bay Area.

From left to right: Zixuan Y, Alex D In April 2025, at the CREATE U.S. Open Robotics Tournament, we ranked fourth and advanced to the semi-finals in our division. This event prepared us well for the World Championship

From Left to right: Zixuan Y, Alex D, Richard W In April 2025, at  Robolabs VEX AI Robotics Competition, we won the tournament championship.

From Left to Right: Zixuan Y, Alex D, Lexie L We competed in the 2025 VEX VRC World Championship in Dallas, TX, in May. We won our division of 83 teams to advance to the overall finals, where we reached the Grand Finals. Overall, we finished 2nd out of 823 teams from across the world.

From left to right: Lexie L, Alex L, Richard W, Grant H, Adline In June 2025, we competed in the VEX AI World Championship in Houston, TX. It was an incredible opportunity to explore the cutting-edge use of artificial intelligence in robotics. We gained valuable insights and look forward to applying what we’ve learned in the upcoming season.

From left to right: Zixuan Y, Alex D, Richard W, Grant H We competed in the University of North Dakota Signature Event at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota—our first competition of the season. We were excited to debut the first version of our robot, finishing 5th in the preliminary rounds and earning 2nd place in the Skills Challenge.

From left to right: Derek D, Alex D, Zixuan Y, Grant H, Lexie L.  Richard W also attended and contributed throughout the event. We kicked off our VEX season at the Saratoga V5 Robotics Tournament #1 with an upgraded version of our MOA robot. After weeks of redesign and testing, it was exciting to see the improvements pay off on the field. We’re proud to have earned the Robot Skills Champion title and the Innovate Award! These wins reflect our team's focus on both performance

From left to right: Claire L, Adeline, Angie Z, Grant H, Zixuan Y, Alex D, Derek D In preparation for this event, we designed and tested an entirely new autonomous program, refining our strategy for both precision and consistency. Our efforts paid off — we earned the Skills Champion Award, achieving the highest combined autonomous and driver skills score at the event. As of now, we are ranked #1 in the world among 1,539 VEX High School teams for the 2025 season. Our sister te

On September 20, 2025, we hosted our second free robotics workshop at the Alviso Library, welcoming 21 students. For all but one participant, this was their very first hands-on robotics experience, as they have limited access to STEM opportunities. Students were divided into four teams, each building their own robot and then competing in a friendly game. The workshop not only introduced them to robotics but also gave them the chance to develop valuable STEM skills—while endin

On July 12, we hosted a full-day robotics workshop at the San Jose Public Library, Alviso Branch. The session was led by Grant H., Richard W., Alex L., and Lexie L., with eleven local students in attendance. This is our first robotics workshop. The day began with an introduction to robot building and programming. The students were then divided into three teams to start constructing their robots. Except for one student, all participants were new to robotics, but everyone was e

By Grant Han The Bayside Canning Company in Alviso was once a powerhouse of California’s canning industry, the third-largest cannery in the nation under the leadership of Thomas Foon Chew. Today, only ruins remain, yet its story still carries enormous cultural and historical weight — so much so that the site has been recognized as a San José Historic Landmark. To restore this landmark to its former glory, we set out to digitally reconstruct it and post it online. On June 1, 2

In March 2025, Grant entered the My Gift to America – 2025 Asian American Stories Video Contest , hosted by the DingDing Silicon Valley Innovation Channel. The contest aimed to bring communities together through the sharing of Asian American stories. A total of 93 entries were submitted, representing voices from more than 20 ethnic groups—including Filipino, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Indian, Cambodian, Japanese, and many others—showcasing the rich diversity of the Asian Am

On March 1st, 2025, Grant attended the 145th Marysville Bok Kai Parade & Festival in Marysville, CA. 13 historic Chinatowns in Northern California shared stories of their pioneering families. Grant presented the Thomas Foon Chew family on behalf of San Francisco Chinatown. Another student, William, presented Connie Young Yu's family. The Marysville Bok Kai Parade, at 145 years old, is the oldest continuous Chinese American cultural event in the history of this country, older

On February 8, 2025, Grant received a certificate of recognition from California State to recognize his dedication to history, social engagement, and Chinese American cultural activities.

The City of San Jose officially proclaimed February 24th as Thomas Foon Chew Day . The Proclamation pays tribute to the groundbreaking achievements and lasting legacy of Thomas Foon Chew, a pioneering Chinese American entrepreneur whose contributions to the agricultural industry left an indelible mark on the Bay Area and beyond.  Grant attended the Proclamation Ceremony at San Jose City Hall and delivered a speech. City Councilmember David Cohen credited Grant with proposing

On February 16, 2025, over 140 people gathered at the South Bay Yacht Club to honor the life and legacy of Thomas Foon Chew, one of Alviso’s pioneers. The event was sponsored by the Chinese Historical and Cultural Project (CHCP) and CompassPoint Mentorship (CP Mentorship). Before the event, Grant gave a tour of the Bayside Canning Company and the surrounding levee. Attendees then gathered inside the South Bay Yacht Club to hear Chew’s granddaughter, Gloria Hom, share stories

On December 11, 2024, we received a Certificate of Recognition from the City of San Jose for our efforts in preserving Alviso's history through our documentary. In the words of San Jose, our interviews with local residents and historians have contributed to keeping Alviso's rich heritage alive for future generations.

Grant interviewed Gloria H om. Born in San Francisco, Gloria is a fourth-generation Californian who is also the granddaughter of Thomas FoonChew. Gloria has held many roles in her life: economist, wife, mother of three, grandmother, educator, politician, and civic leader. She’s received state and federal recognition for her work, named “Outstanding Educator of America” and trustee emeritus for California State University. She also received the Seal of California in recognitio